This week’s My Way feature comes to us from health and wellness practitioner Lori Painter. Lori is the author of the very educational and extremely entertaining blog, Inspire 2 Act. In addition to her health enthusiasm, Lori is passionate about the eco living, working out and raising her two lovely kids, Alex and Megan. Lori and her family live in Southern California.

My Way: Lori Painter

Just my luck that Dhrumil asked my to be featured in “My Way” when it is winter, rainy and cold (which is rare) in Southern California. It only makes eating 100% raw more of a challenge. However, instead of eating totally raw, I have decided in the winter months to focus on hydration, greens and eating fruits and veggies versus too many gourmet recipes. I’m still working on using food to feed my emotional needs. Since I belong to an organic produce buying club, my meals tend to be very simple and repetitive. It depends on what is in season. Each week it is a little different. This is how I do things My Way.

Monday
Off to the gym to earn my breakfast. I shower from the inside out in the sauna and visualize my dream day! Today’s menu consists of simple monofoods: breakfast is 2 apples and a banana, Lunch is a green salad with an avocado based dressing. I am sure to get my daily 4 quarts of water in too. I check online messages and correspond accordingly, watch some YouTube subscriptions and post a little twitter.

Tuesday
It’s cold & raining. I opt to make a homemade veggie soup and green salad to munch on all day.
After gymnastics, the kids and I all write blogs and take video footage for upcoming posts to our websites. I have a great chat with my web designer and act like I know what she is talking about when she uses technical jargon. I realize I have so much to learn when it comes to creating a business online. I feel inspired to get my kids going now with an online presence. They are never to young to get in on the online world and share their perspective. We play and set up twitter accounts for them as well as blogspots. After dinner consisting of a massaged green salad I head out to take a Latin dance class.

Wednesday
It’s raining & cold outside and I don’t hit the gym first thing. Instead I eat a steamed yam for breakfast and cuddle up in bed with my kids for some home school lessons. My kids are brilliant without all the social conditioning. I feel that I am here to recognize their passions and support them in their life. Of course I emphasize on entrepreneurship and finances along with healthy living. Part of their curriculum is to visualize and keep a gratitude journal. I want them to be self reliant and have a healthy perspective on life. Actually, they are great reminders to have more fun in life! Lunch is another massaged greens salad while dinner is a steamed yam. After dinner is kickboxing. I am drenched! Mission accomplished!

Thursday
My day starts at the gym. Today’s menu 3 quarts of water, clementines and apples, a banana. Dinner is veggie soup and a salad. My kids and I set it up an herb garden. Snowboarding season is here so I write up a workout plan including lots of balance, ankle and leg strength for myself and my kids so we can be ready for the slopes. I am noticing a huge success with drinking tons of water between meals. If I require that I finish 1 1/2 qts of water between meals I tend to have less cravings & more energy. After dinner I catch myself eating steamed veggies and 2 yams (made the same way as yesterday) I ate this and I wasn’t even hungry! This is another emotional eating episode.

Friday
First thing is my workout at a boot camp circuit conditioning and cycling class. My diet consists of 3 quarts of water, a green smoothie, guacamole with crudités such as cucumber, cherry tomato, celery, carrots, and a massaged green salad. My kids and I make homemade toothpaste & mouth rinse, it was awesome. However, I tried apple cider vinegar “shampoo”… YIKES, I must have done something wrong there. My eyes are burning and it smells awful. Never again! It’s dinner time & I am out of greens. The sugar cravings come rolling in. I didn’t have much fat earlier in the day either. UGH!!!! I binged on a brownie sundae. I really notice a difference in my cravings when I don’t eat my greens. So, I go through a down period because, “I know better!” I remember that guilt is very low calibrating and so decide to forgive myself and love myself. Practice not perfection. I still am doing better than I was a year or so ago.

Saturday
Wake up about 5 am. I grab my 48 oz of water, fresh fruit and I am on the road to pick up wholesale organic produce for the participants of the IEOPBC. I feel a little lazy considering it is my “off” day from working out, but seriously, my body is feeling the impact of this weeks workouts. Most Saturdays I have a raw potluck, demo class or other health lecture that I attend, but this week is different. We went to see “Wicked” – Freaking awesome!

Lori Painter is a mom, blogger and health and wellness practitioner based in Southern California.